Grew Up at Midnight
by notcarlsjr
Summary: Before Kate Argent set the Hale house on fire, before Derek Hale killed Paige Krasikeva, there was Amanda Wolfe. Sent to Beacon Hills by Deucalion, she was tasked with getting close to Derek so that Deucalion's pack would be on good terms with the Hales when they arrived. But, Amanda gets a little too close and a little too involved: a risk she thought she'd be willing to take...
1. First Day

Amanda Wolfe groaned at the sound of a motorcycle engine being revved twice outside of her bedroom window. She covered her face with her hands and waited a moment, hearing the motorcycle rev again, before she sat up in bed and peered outside of her window. Down below was her best friend and roommate, Nick, straddling his motorcycle and looking up at her window. Amanda raised her eyebrows and gave him a little wave before letting the curtain drop as she rolled out of bed. Her bare feet padded against the throw carpet she had thrown across the wood floor as she went over to her closet, pulling open the double doors. Her wardrobe was presented before her and Amanda let her eyes travel over the clothes before making a selection.

She pulled on her white tshirt and tucked it into a denim mini skirt, making sure the buttons were all buttoned correctly. She slipped her feet into a pair of black capped toed flats and fixed her watch on her right wrist, making sure the time was set to her Motorola Razr. She then applied her makeup and fixed her hair before hearing the revving of Nick's motorcycle again. Amanda let out a groan, quickly grabbing her crescent moon necklace from where it hung on the jewelry tree before she hurried over to her chair. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder before hurrying down the stairs and out of the apartment.

It was the first day of school, well, for Amanda. The year was already in full swing, which meant she was heading into the year during the middle of the semester. Typical new girl status. She had spent the previous night making sure she had everything: planners, binders, notebooks, etc. The past week had been spent setting up her bedroom, keeping it minimalistic but still making sure it felt like home; that's what it was now. Home.

"You could've gone around the block and gotten us some breakfast." Amanda commented as she walked down the sidewalk to Nick's motorcycle. She clasped the necklace around her neck, flipping her hair over her shoulders so it spilled down her back as Nick leaned back and held up a brown paper bag.

"Three steps ahead of you, Manda." Nick grinned at her. "Actually, three donuts ahead of you." Amanda made a face and picked up the extra helmet that was on the back of Nick's bike. She slipped it on her head before climbing onto the bike.

She settled back, getting comfortable on the seat and Nick waited until she was situated before handing her the brown paper bag. Amanda gratefully took it with one hand, the other hand going to his shoulder so she could keep her balance. Nick kicked back the kickstand and started up the engine once more before maneuvering the bike out onto the empty road. Years of riding on the back of his motorcycle had taught Amanda how to balance herself and do something else during the rides.

While Nick drove through the sleepy town of Beacon Hills, Amanda was content with munching on a donut while watching the town go by. It was your classic suburb and Amanda was very happy to be in a normal looking town: a movie theater was next to a diner, which was across the street from a grocery store among other local businesses. There were a smattering of houses that appeared as they got closer to the high school. Amanda surveyed the teenagers hurrying out to catch the yellow school bus or getting into a car of their own. The day was beginning.

Nick and Amanda had arrived in Beacon Hills a few days before. Previously, they had lived most of their lives with Deucalion and his pack. The pack moved every few years, but Deucalion and Nick were Amanda's constants. They were always there for her, guiding her and turning her into the person she was meant to be. Deucalion was always a man of vision and Amanda tried to imitate that. Amanda owed a lot to Deucalion so of course, Deucalion trusting them to handle this was a pretty big deal to her.

Before Deucalion and the others were to arrive, Amanda and Nick were to scope out the town of Beacon Hills and see what the Hales were doing. The Hales were the most powerful werewolf family in the county and Deucalion wanted them on his side—everyone did. He had even given Amanda a specific duty: to gain the trust of one of the younger Hales, Derek.

Since school had already started, Deucalion pulled some strings and managed to get Amanda enrolled into Beacon Hills High. Nick could pass as a senior in high school despite his age, but Deucalion wanted him focused on working with the local emissary since Marin never left Deucalion's side. So while Amanda was learning fractions and proper grammar, Nick was going to be working on making sure the packs wouldn't have any trouble once they got to town. Nick considered it a job that wasn't too difficult, but Amanda still pressured him to start it earlier than later, nervous for the _what ifs_.

Although Amanda didn't know why Deucalion and the others were coming, she knew that it was important. Part of her wondered if it was because of the Argents. They were a family of hunters that extended to the ends of the West Coast. Amanda never had any trouble with the Argents, and she considered herself lucky; from the stories she had been told, the family was hell bent on killing every werewolf they could, which made her frightened for her family.

Amanda and Nick had always been with Deucalion's pack, it was the only family either of them knew. Nick was part of the pack by blood, yet he never inherited the werewolf gene—he would tell anyone who asked that it was a blessing in disguise. But Amanda had been adopted by Deucalion at age five, after he had saved her from two rogue Omegas who had killed her parents. Amanda never really knew why Deucalion brought her into his family, but she wasn't complaining; Deucalion was the only father figure she had ever known. She had become attached to Nick's hip ever since Deucalion brought her home, and not just cause he was the only other human in the house, but because he had made it very clear to Deucalion that he would take care of Amanda like she was his sister. In a way, Amanda and Nick were like siblings, even if they weren't blood related.

Even with being the only humans in the pack, the pair had grown up _surrounded_ by werewolves. Almost everyone they met, sans a few emissaries, was a werewolf. Deucalion had a pretty good sized pack and was friendly with other Alphas that would filter in and out of the pack house whenever they were visiting. While some kids were learning basic US history, Amanda was learning about the history of werewolves and the hierarchy that came with it. Her gym class took place outside where she learned how to defend herself against much bigger werewolves. She fought against each werewolf, getting knocked down more than once, but always getting back up. At first, some of the werewolves didn't want to touch her; she was important to Deucalion—not to mention _human_ , but when she proved that she could hold her own, the werewolves didn't hold back.

Of course, Amanda was still educated, Deucalion made sure of that. He imparted his wisdom onto Amanda, teaching her about the things that mattered and letting her make her own decisions about certain topics. She took Deucalion's vision to heart—wanting to see the good in people and wanting to be a leader who led with her heart instead of her theoretical claws and fangs.

The offer of the bite had come up when Amanda turned fifteen, a month before her and Nick were set to go to Beacon Hills. Deucalion offered it to Amanda, knowing she had had enough experience to make a formal, intelligent decision. Amanda politely declined the bite, citing that she wanted to keep some sense of normalcy in her world. She was human and she was good at it, plus she told Deucalion that fur and claws wouldn't go well with any of her outfits—which made Deucalion laugh.

The two were soon sent on their way to Beacon Hills and for the first time, they were truly by themselves. Usually, they almost always had a beta by their side, but Deucalion insisted that the two go on their own. As nervous as Amanda was, she felt confident with Nick by her side. She was kind of excited at the idea of going to a normal high school and acting like a normal teen for the first time in her life.

Nick pulled into the high school parking lot and kicked the stand down, leaning to the side so he could rest a bit as Amanda climbed off the bike. She undid her helmet and placed it back on the back of the bike, fixing her hair a bit as she walked to the front of the bike.

"You got everything?" Nick asked, straddling the bike. Amanda nodded, smoothing down her outfit. Her stomach rolled and it wasn't from eating the donut on the motorcycle.

"You have your phone? Money? Weapons?"

"Yes, _Dad_." Amanda rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she grinned at Nick. Nick gave her a look before shifting his weight on the bike.

"Just making sure you're good." Nick eyed her for a moment before asking another question, "You got your class schedule and everything?"

" _Yes_." Amanda rolled forward on her toes, hand on her backpack strap. "Now can I go? _Please?"_ Amanda let out a little whine, making Nick laugh.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Nick put up his hands, "I'm ruining your cool factor."

"You're not." Amanda reached out to lightly punch Nick's arm, "I just want to make sure I'm not late." Amanda made her eyes bigger as Nick laughed again.

"Okay, I'll be here after school to pick you up." Nick moved his hands onto the handlebars of the bike, giving Amanda a smile.

"You're such a dad." Amanda laughed, reaching forward to mess up Nick's hair. Nick pulled back from her, making a face.

"I'm just looking out for my girl." Nick winked at her. Amanda made a face in response.

"Oh, God, I am _not_ your girl." She scoffed out, gagging a bit. Nick laughed and gently shoved her back a bit.

"Get to class."

Amanda nodded, giving Nick a thumbs up as she turned on her toes and headed into the school. Nick watched her go before kicking the stand up and rolling back on the bike, starting it up again and driving out of parking lot. Glancing over her shoulder, Amanda saw Nick riding away and she took in a breath; she was on her own.

Amanda hadn't told Nick about how Deucalion had given her a specific job to do. She had just said something general about getting close to the Hales. Honestly, Amanda wasn't sure why she hadn't told Nick—maybe it had to do with the fact that Nick would try to embarrass her, or insist that he help, or maybe it was because Amanda wanted to prove to herself that she could do it on her own.

So during the first few days in town, while Nick was making getting contacts for Marin, Amanda did a little of her own research on the younger Hale. There wasn't much the new thing called the internet could provide for her, but the library had copies of past newspapers. Amanda found articles about the Beacon Hills High School basketball team, where Derek Hale was listed as one of the teammates. That was all the information Amanda needed and all she was going to get.

During her walk to the entrance of the school, Amanda passed by people sitting at picnic tables, watching her as she went, while others didn't even give her the time of day. She had never been to a real high school until this day. She and Nick had been what could be considered "home-schooled" ; the ever revolving door of werewolves from different parts of the coast taught Amanda how to read, how to solve equations and even biology and sex education. If anything, both her and Nick were well ahead of their learning curve; Deucalion felt that being educated was just as important as learning how to fight. But this was the first time Amanda would ever be in a classroom setting.

She headed up the front walk, letting her backpack swing forward so that she could reach in and grab her Discman and her schedule. She slipped on her headphones, pressing play on the Discman as she unfolded the piece of paper with her other hand. The Spice Girls played through her headphones, giving her a beat to walk through the front doors with, her head down as she looked at the piece of paper. She sensed someone coming down towards her and looked up, moving to the side just in time for someone to pass her. Amanda grinned to herself, proud that she had avoided the collision.

Until she turned and slammed straight into a locker door. She let out a gasp of pain as her head connected with the metal door. Amanda quickly stepped back, pressing her hand to her head and squinting up at the locker owner. He grimaced at her and continued to close his locker door the rest of the way.

"You should really watch where you're going." The guy made a face before walking away from her.

"Thanks for the advice!" Amanda called out after the guy as she rubbed her head, grumbling a little in pain. _Great job, Amanda. First day here and you're already the school klutz_. She thought to herself.

But the pain quickly subsided and Amanda continued down the hall, looking out for any more open lockers or other things she could run into. Amanda had sustained worse injuries—training with werewolves always proved to leave her as one giant bruise, but the locker incident was more embarrassing than most; people had seen it happen, _strangers_.

Strangers made Amanda nervous; she didn't like not knowing their motives. Whenever lost Omegas showed up at Deucalion's, Amanda was always wary with what they wanted. It was something she had been working on ever since Deucalion taught her that everyone was a stranger until someone said hello. But Amanda couldn't help the uneasiness that spread over her whenever she met someone knew. That being said, most would call her shy and would underestimate her, but those who knew her, knew that she was far from it. Not necessarily loud, but not the quiet one in the corner and definitely not someone to underestimate.

Lithe, yet lanky, Amanda was always taught to use her speed to her advantage rather than try to hit with impact. If they couldn't catch her, she wouldn't have to fight. Even though she was mostly trained like a hunter, she didn't like to use violence if she didn't need to. Sometimes, she had to throw a few punches, but she always felt guilty about it. Luckily, the werewolves who taught her how to use her senses to help her more than her physical strength.

Of course, she was tested; how could Deucalion be sure she had retained what she was taught if she wasn't tested. This meant that a few nights before Amanda and Nick left for Beacon Hills, Deucalion had a couple of his betas kidnap Amanda in her sleep and bring her to an old, abandoned house. Amanda didn't know what was going on, but she woke up and found herself tied up and gagged without Deucalion or any of his betas anywhere in sight. There was no sign of them; even her sharper than normal human senses couldn't pick up any of them. It was a classic training test, Amanda thought, until she heard Nick's tortured cries and pleas. Hearing him, made her cry out against the gag and tug against the ropes—needing to free herself and get to Nick. That was until Marco, one of Amanda's favorite betas, stepped out of the shadows, a tape player in his hand. He stopped the recording of Nick's pleas and stepped over to her, pulling down the gag.

"What is this!?" Amanda cried out, not knowing if she should be scared or angry.

As much as Amanda loved Marco, he could be a loose canon and act on instinct rather than thinking things through. He always went left when he was supposed to go right, something that Amanda admired and wished she could do, but she was afraid Marco had gone too far left, doing the couple opposite of what Deucalion wanted him to do. Marco crouched down in front of her so he was at eye level with his favorite human.

"We need you to get close to the younger Hale." Marco paused, "Derek." Amanda's brow furrowed.

"Me? What? Why?" Amanda sputtered out, still twisting against the ropes. Marco hadn't tied them tight enough and Amanda could slip one of her small wrists out of the bindings, but she kept her hands behind her back as Marco explained.

"Deucalion believes you will be able to gain the trust of the Hales easier than Nick would." Marco gave her a little half smile. Amanda couldn't help but roll her eyes at that, mostly because it was true.

"Was all this stuff really necessary?" Amanda asked, pulling her hands completely free and raising them up to show Marco, "I mean, I'm missing prime beauty sleep." Marco raised his eyebrows at her before he laughed a bit. He pushed out of his crouch and Amanda went to stand up, only to collapse onto the ground; Marco had tied her ankles together too.

Amanda let out a strangled, frustrated noise as Marco stared down at her, "Just making sure you can handle it." Marco raised his eyebrows, "Your assignment begins now." Amanda tried to muster all of her anger into a glare at Marco, but Marco wasn't phased. He grinned at her before stepping over her as she struggled with the knots, leaving her alone in the warehouse.

At the sound of the bell, Amanda snapped back to reality, glancing around herself to see people heading into classrooms or running past her to get to their classes. Amanda quickly glanced down to try and locate her homeroom on the sheet and match it up with the classroom numbers. It seemed, according to her paper, that she was supposed to find the main office first and have the vice principal escort her to her first period. Amanda spun around on her toes, looking for something that looked like a main office, turning back and looked down the hallway to see a sign pointing to a door on her left. She took in a breath and headed towards the office.

Yanking her headphones down so that they wrapped around her neck, Amanda reached out for the doorknob, pushing the door open and stepping into the office.

"Hi, dear." An older looking secretary greeted her. Amanda walked up to the desk, tapping her fists on the counter, "What can I do for you?" The secretary asked.

"I'm new." Amanda breathed out, "And it says to come here. I'm Amanda. Wolfe." Amanda added on the end, feeling a little flustered and nervous. The older lady gave Amanda a warm smile and gestured to the seats behind Amanda.

"Have a seat, dear. I'll go get the vice principal for you." Amanda nodded, giving the lady a small smile back before heading over to the empty chairs, smoothing her skirt under her as she sat down.

Amanda let her fingers tap on top of the Discman as she waited for the vice principal's office door to open. She let her eyes travel around the room, taking in all the exits and things that could be used if anything were to happen. It was instinct. Her hands then went to her backpack, smoothing down the front pocket as she felt her pocket knife in the small compartment. She felt better knowing that there were ways to get out if the situation went sour. Then she had to remind herself that it was only high school—it couldn't be _that_ bad.

"Amanda?" Amanda looked up at the sound of her name, seeing a man standing with his hands in his suit pants' pockets, "Come on in." He nodded to the open office door and Amanda nodded, slinging her backpack around her shoulder as she stood up. She followed the vice principal into his office, hearing the door close behind her.

"Please, take a seat." The vice principal said, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. Amanda did as she was told and let her backpack drop to the ground. The vice principal leaned back in his seat, fixing his tie as he watched her.

"So welcome to Beacon Hills." The vice principal started the conversation, "When did you move here?"

"A few days ago." Amanda answered, "It's a nice town."

"Where did you move from?"

"Outside of San Diego." Amanda nodded a little, "I wasn't born there, but it was the longest place we stayed." She gave him a quick, small smile.

"And you live with your uncle?" The vice principal was referring to Deucalion.

He made himself Amanda's legal guardian and put on the forms that she was his niece. Amanda had even changed her last name, wanting no ties to her dead parents—it was Nick's idea to give her the last name _Wolfe_ a small inside joke between the family, since "You know, we're all…you know, werewolves." Nick said with a smirk as Deucalion rolled his eyes. Amanda liked it and it didn't take much to get Deucalion to go along with it.

"Yes. My parents passed away when I was young." Amanda admitted. She saw a look of pity briefly flash across the vice principal's face.

Amanda never had too much trouble talking about her parents; mostly, she didn't remember them. There were a couple of photo albums Deucalion had taken with him and Amanda had looked through them once or twice, but she was too young to really remember her parents. She assumed she didn't have any other family since no one had come looking for her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He paused, "Maybe Beacon Hills will be a fresh start."

"I'm already beginning to think that." Amanda said, bouncing on her seat a bit, with a grin on her face. She was already beginning to enjoy the small town, from what she saw of it on the back of Nick's motorcycle. It seemed like the perfect town for the Hales to be a part of.

"I'm glad you like it." He nodded at her, "We hope to make this transition nice and easy, especially since you're transferring in the middle of the semester."

"I hope you can see from my past transcripts that I'll be just fine." Amanda leaned forward, raising her eyebrows a bit at the vice principal. Even though the transcripts were faked, Amanda was just as smart as her peers, if not smarter. And she wasn't too keen on people assuming that she would just fall behind because she seemed like just a pretty face.

The vice principal huffed as he glanced over her transcripts, almost like he hadn't before the meeting. Amanda watched him nod to himself and then set the files down, "You'll be just fine here, Amanda."

"I plan to be." Amanda continued to smile at him and the vice principal nodded at her.

"Let me walk you to your first class." The vice principal said, rising from his chair. Amanda followed suit and walked behind him out of the office and then down the hall.

"We hope that you'll get involved here during your time at Beacon Hills. We have a lot of teams and different activities that are always looking for new members…" Amanda let the vice principal chatter on, not paying attention to him. She wasn't exactly looking to join the choir or the pottery club. There wasn't going to be enough time between school work and Deucalion's task—a part of her figured that maybe she should join the cheerleading squad, just so she could get closer to Derek. But that would have to wait until she actually _found_ Derek.

"If you have any questions," Amanda tuned back to what the vice principal was saying. They were standing outside a classroom, "my door is always open." _Lie_. Amanda thought to herself, but didn't comment; she gave him a small smile and nodded.

The vice principal gave her another warm smile before turning to the door and pushing it open. He stepped inside and Amanda followed, looking around the classroom as she was led to the front. She clasped her hands in front of her, hunching down a bit in order to make herself look less intimidating; she wanted people to like her and being the new girl was going to be hard enough.

"Class, this is your new student, Amanda Wolfe. Please do your best to make her feel welcome." The vice principal said, nodding back at Amanda.

Amanda gave the class a small smile as she looked around the room. She felt her eyes being drawn to a girl sitting in the front of the room. The girl curiously looked back at Amanda and Amanda noticed the small heart shaped mole under her eye before she noticed anything else.

"There's a seat right back there." The teacher said, getting Amanda to look at him and then follow to where he was pointing. Amanda nodded in thanks and made her way to the back of the classroom, sitting down in her seat.

Her eyes flitted over the class, trying to spot out someone who looked like a Hale, but her eyes kept being drawn back to the girl in the front. Amanda reached for her necklace charm, playing with it as she tried to figure out what the girl knew that made Amanda immediately pick her out of the rest of her classmates. Amanda made a little note to find the girl later and try to talk to her; first she had to get through her day of classes.

* * *

While Amanda was going through her first day of high school, Nick was back at the apartment, lounging on the couch while the television played some soap opera he wasn't paying attention to. Instead, he was trying to catch popcorn in his mouth and ignoring the sound of Amanda's voice telling him not to procrastinate.

Where Amanda was organized and nervous, Nick couldn't be less worried about finding the Hales' emissary. Marin had given him all the information needed, even telling him that she and the emissary were siblings. If anything, Nick could wait until the day before Deucalion and the packs were to arrive, but he didn't know when they were coming and neither did Amanda.

Sighing, Nick sat up, thinking about how Deucalion could be coming at any possible moment and he was expecting Nick and Amanda to have a handle on what they were tasked to do. It wasn't like Deucalion would punish them if it wasn't done, but Deucalion's disappointment alone was much worse than anything any of the wolves could dole out physically. And even though he never showed it, Nick hated disappointing his dad.

His mom had died during childbirth so Nick was left to be raised by Deucalion and the pack. He felt guilty for what had happened to his mom, even though Deucalion told him time and time again that Nick wasn't to be blamed. Nick hoped that his werewolf gene would kick in so he could show his dad that he could lead the pack if anything were to happen to Deucalion. But the werewolf gene never came and soon Nick realized he was simply and purely human. It hurt his heart, but Nick pushed that feeling down until it went away—or until Deucalion showed up with a small human girl who had one hand in her mouth and one hand in Deucalion's when he was eleven.

Ever since Amanda showed up, it became a little easier for Nick to enjoy being human. Mostly because he had someone to share the feeling of being completely average with, yet Amanda taught him that being human wasn't necessarily the _worst_ thing. As much as Nick taught her, he also found himself learning from the younger girl. And as annoying as she was, Nick had to admit that she was right—he needed to start building the bridge between himself and the Hales' emissary.

Nick found himself straddling his bike in front of a vet's clinic. He glanced down at the piece of paper Marin had given him with the address of the emissary before looking back up at the building—he had the right address.

"Ironic." Nick mumbled to himself as he got off the bike.

The sign said the clinic was open, so Nick pulled open the door, hearing the chimes jingle and signal his entrance. The waiting room was empty, but Nick heard the sound of footsteps approaching and glanced over to see a tidy looking African American man walk from one of the back rooms.

"Can I help you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at Nick.

* * *

After classes were finished, Amanda walked down the hallway, eyes trained on the girl with the birthmark. Amanda was trailing behind her, keeping a nice distance as she tried to figure out how to approach her. This would be her first friend interaction and Amanda knew she needed to make a good impression. The girl seemed like she knew more than met the eye and Amanda wanted to be able to find out what she knew without being weird. So when the girl ducked into the music room at the end of the hall, Amanda knew she could come up with a plan.

Amanda glanced around the hallway, figuring she wouldn't immediately go into the music room. She needed a reason why. Amanda went back to her locker, putting some of her books inside and then shutting it. She still needed to find Derek Hale or _a_ Hale in general. Amanda didn't have any reference pictures; Deucalion wasn't one to make it easy. Beacon Hills High wasn't that big—which meant that the girl in the music room could possibly know who Derek was and where he hung out.

Retracing her steps, Amanda found her way back at the music room. There was the sound of a cello echoing in the music room and Amanda peered inside to see the girl sitting there, moving her bow across the cello and producing some beautiful sounding notes. She wasn't even looking at the music stand. Amanda twisted her fingers together before raising a fist to knock on the opened door. The girl abruptly stopped and looked over to her, eyebrows raised.

"Hey." Amanda gave her a small smile, "Sorry, I was, uh, I was just wondering if you could help me with something."

"I'm in the middle of practicing." The girl stated the obvious.

"No, yeah, I know." Amanda put her hands up, "Uhm, I'm Amanda and I'm new—"

"I'm sure the office can help you with anything you need." The girl abruptly said, turning her attention back to her cello.

"Right, okay." Amanda paused, "I'm sorry, but can you just…I'm trying to find Derek Hale." The girl looked over at Amanda, eyebrows raised.

"Derek Hale?" She seemed confused, "Why are you looking for him?" Amanda opened her mouth a little, not knowing how to respond. She hadn't thought this all the way through. Amanda went with a shrug, a noncommittal answer. The girl studied her for a moment before shaking her head.

"If you stick around, you'll probably hear him."

"Hear him?"

"Yeah." The girl took in a breath, "Him and the rest of the basketball team sometimes practice out in the hall."

"Don't they have, like, a court for that?" Amanda felt her eyebrows furrow. She went to go play with her necklace as she watched the girl roll her eyes and nod.

"Apparently they like the hallway better."

"That's stupid." Amanda let her weight fall onto her left foot.

"Tell me about it." The girl blew out a breath, "Sorry, I didn't mean to rant or whatever." The girl glanced at Amanda before looking away and then back again.

"No, it's okay." Amanda shook her head.

"I'm Paige, by the way." Paige gave her a small smile, "We have English together." Amanda smiled at that. Paige did remember, it just seemed like she was a little wary of new people, just like Amanda was the same way.

"Amanda." Amanda introduced herself to Paige's nod,

"I know." Paige raised her eyebrows a bit, "You were introduced earlier this morning."

"Right, yeah." Amanda laughed a little, "Sorry." She went to scratch her temple, "Uh, it's nice to meet you." Amanda nodded at Paige, "And thanks for answering my question. I'll let you get back to your cello." Paige gave her a grateful smile and turned her attention back to the sheet of music.

Amanda took a step back, turning on her heel to walk away from the music room. She pulled her Discman out of her backpack and slipped the headphones on over her head. Amanda let the same song play that was on earlier, play as she walked down the hall. There were a few people left milling around in the hallway, but it was mostly empty. Amanda asked a random person where the gym was, letting them point her in the right direction. She headed down the stairs, turning left and facing the open double doors.

The sound of basketballs hitting the floor and sneakers squeaking could be heard over Amanda's music. She kept her headphones on, but paused the song, walking on the sidelines by the bleachers. The team was running some type of drill—some were wearing red pinnies and others wearing blue. Amanda took her time walking to the other side of the gym, listening and watching the basketball team.

"Hale! I'm open!" Amanda let her eyes travel over to where there was a guy around her age holding a basketball and looking around the court.

"Bingo." Amanda whispered to herself. She only saw the back of Derek's head, so she paused, waiting for him to turn around when he had to run down the court.

Derek's pass was intercepted by one of the other guys and so he and the rest of his team went running to the opposite side of the court. He glanced over to the bleachers to see a tall, lanky girl intently watching the team. It wasn't uncommon for people to watch the team practice after school, but there was something about her that caught Derek's attention. He had a feeling he had seen this girl before.

Since Derek was pretty much focusing all of his senses on Amanda—which she was aware of, the rebound smacked him right in the head. And _that's_ when Derek remembered where he knew the girl from: she had run into his locker door earlier in the day. While the rest of his teammates laughed at his pain—which subsided in less than a minute, Derek watched the girl laugh to herself before turning and walking out of the gym. Derek shook his head, getting back into the scrimmage.

Amanda continued to laugh to herself as she walked down the hall. She did have to admit that she felt a little bad for making Derek not realize the ball was coming. He would've if Amanda hadn't messed with his senses. But he had been staring at her a little too long, plus Amanda figured it was a little payback for earlier when she had hit her head on his locker door and he was mean to her about it.

She felt her phone buzz in her bag and took it out to see Nick's name on the screen. She flipped open the phone, pressing the green button and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?"

" _Where are you?"_ Nick greeted her, sounding worried.

"At school."

" _I've been outside waiting for you_. _I thought you were done school at three?_ "

"I am." Amanda went up the stairs and turned so she could go down the hall that led to the double door exit. "I was trying to be normal. Make some friends." Nick let out a laugh as Amanda pushed through the doors. She saw Nick leaning against his motorcycle and snapped her phone shut at the sight of him.

"You should've called." Nick raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry, Nickel." Amanda gave him a apologetic smile. Nick sighed at her and waved his hand at her, indicating that she was forgiven. Amanda ran her fingers through her hair and sighed before motioning at Nick, "Come on, I have homework to do."

"Ah, the toll of being a high school student." Nick straddled the motorcycle, letting Amanda swing her leg over the back and wrap her arms around him.

"Hey, what'd you do all day?" Amanda asked.

"Took your advice." Nick grinned, revving the engine before kicking up the kickstand and letting the brake go.

Amanda raised her eyebrows and gave a wide smile to the back of Nick's neck as she held onto Nick; she was extremely happy Nick had actually gotten a head start on finding the emissary. It seemed like both of them had a productive first day on the job.

* * *

A/N: Tell me all of your thoughts please and thanks!


	2. Straight Out of Bring It On

It didn't take long for Amanda and Nick to get into a routine. They had one before Amanda started school, so it was easy for them to adjust it to fit. Amanda went to school during the day while Nick worked at the vet's clinic, trying to gain the trust of Deaton, the Hale's emissary. Their nights were spent with Amanda working on homework on the floor in front of the couch and Nick on the couch, asking her about her day over whatever Nick made for dinner. She told him that she had found out that the Hales had a son her age and in her class, so of course Nick urged her to get close to him, not realizing that Amanda already knew it was what she had to do.

Yet, Amanda had kept her distance from Derek, spotting him here and there and realizing they shared a few classes and a lunch period. Instead, she focused most of her attention on Paige, trying to start one friendship with the quiet, but stubborn girl while she figured out how to make natural contact with Derek.

And it seemed whatever higher power believed that Amanda deserved a natural way to meet Derek—besides making her run into his locker. One day, Amanda walked out of her last class to see the basketball team in their uniforms and letting out cheers as they ran down the halls. Amanda pressed her back against her locker and watched as Derek ran past her, not even giving her a second glance. She watched him run down the hall and follow the pack to the gym, students following along. Amanda joined, merging with the sea of high schoolers and getting to the gym. The social aspects of high school still confused Amanda. As soon as she thought she had it all figured out, there was something new to adjust to, like whatever was going on in the gym.

As soon as Amanda entered the gym, she spotted Paige sitting in the corner on the front row of the bleachers. Amanda maneuvered her way around groups of people, getting to Paige. She dropped her pink backpack on the ground as she sat down next to Paige, who glanced over to her.

"What…is going on?" Amanda asked, taking in the amount of people in the gym. There were streamers and balloons, even the band was set up.

"It's a pep rally." Paige answered as if Amanda was stupid, "The first round of semi finals starts tomorrow night for the basketball team."

"Oh." Amanda felt her brow furrow. She had never been to a pep rally before, so she was a little confused as to what was going on. Paige obviously noticed and raised her eyebrows at Amanda.

"Have you never been to a pep rally?"

"No." Amanda scoffed, making a face, "Of course I have." Paige continued to eye Amanda until she cracked, "I mean, well…" Amanda looked away from Paige, trying to come up with a lie. She was terrible at lying; people always figured it out, "My old school didn't have a lot of organized sports." Amanda carefully said, not making eye contact with Paige, but instead watching the cheerleaders warm up. She quickly glanced at Paige, seeing her nod and make a face,

"It's not super interesting." Paige shrugged, "Have you seen _Bring It On_?"

"Uhm, yes, it's my _favorite_ movie." Amanda turned in her seat, pressing her hand to her chest, "Is it like that?"

"A little lamer." Paige crinkled up her features and Amanda gave a disappointed sigh, turning back to face front and drop her hand to her lap.

"I guess basketball's a pretty big deal here, huh?" Amanda asked, seeing the posters and students decked out in their school colors, all cheering.

"Yeah." Paige sighed, planting her elbows on her thighs and leaned forward. Amanda glanced at her, seeing how bored she looked.

"Do you even like basketball?" Amanda asked, raising her eyebrows at Paige.

"God, no." Paige scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I'm just here because I can't practice until they're done. It gets so loud."

"Right." Amanda nodded as the band started to play.

Paige and Amanda sat through the pep rally, Paige looking bored while Amanda clapped along to the cheers, trying to learn them as the cheerleaders went. Paige even cracked a smile at Amanda's ridiculous movements, which made Amanda feel satisfied as she laughed along with her new friend.

When it came time for the basketball team to come out, Amanda clapped along with the rest of her peers, Paige was lazily smacking her hands together, not paying attention. Amanda studied the basketball players, remembering their faces and numbers so she could keep up if she needed to. Derek's name was called somewhere in the middle and Amanda sat up a bit straighter, trying to get a better view as Derek ran through the cheerleader tunnel. He came out to the whoops and hollers of the crowd and did a special handshake with the captain before waving to the crowd. Amanda caught his eye and gave him a small wave, just out of habit—she wasn't thinking.

"Wait, do you know him?" Paige asked, getting Amanda's attention as Derek ran to get in line with the rest of the players.

"What?" Amanda asked, turning to look at Paige, "No, oh, no." Amanda shook her head.

"Then why'd you wave?" Paige asked, brow furrowing.

"Cause he was waving…" Amanda trailed off, making her eyes wide. Paige laughed at her and shook her head, obviously amused with Amanda's actions.

* * *

Nick entered the vet's clinic, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked around the empty waiting room. He could hear the cats and dogs in the back room and when he glanced at the examination room, he saw Deaton walking in front of the door. Stepping forward, Nick walked through the small gate that separated the examination room from the waiting room and tapped his knuckles against the door window. He opened the door as Deaton looked over to him, giving him an easy smile.

"You're early." Deaton commented, going back to examining whatever he had pulled out of a patient. Nick had gone straight from dropping Amanda off to the clinic.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Nick started, rubbing his hands on his thighs as Deaton looked back up at him, brow furrowing.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no." Nick motioned with his hands, "It's not about work either."

Nick hadn't yet figured out how to bring up Deucalion or Marin, but Nick knew he had to do it sooner rather than later. Especially because Amanda was asking questions and he couldn't lie to her. She wasn't doing it to be mean, she was just genuinely curious about Deaton's involvement and how Nick was doing. Nick knew that, but he still felt guilty whenever he shrugged it off and changed the subject.

Deaton eyed Nick for a moment, deciding to let the young man off the hook. Marin had already warned him that Nick was coming and Deaton was happy to let Nick play the role of employee as he tried to get closer to Deaton—hell he always could use an extra hand or two. But it was clear that Nick wanted to bring up the subject, just that he wasn't sure how to.

"I know what it's about." Deaton admitted, getting Nick to raise his eyebrows as Deaton went back to cleaning his tools, "You're a friend of Marin's and Deucalion's son." Deaton simply said. Nick made a face and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning forward slightly,

"You know?" Nick asked, brows furrowing.

"Have since you walked in a few days ago." Deaton responded, looking over at Nick. Nick gaped at him and dropped his arms from his chest,

"Then why—what did they even need me to do?" Nick sputtered out, feeling frustrated with his dad's orders.

"I suppose it was more of a _keep Amanda safe_ task than anything else." Deaton mused, getting Nick to look back at him.

"You know about Amanda?" Nick raised his eyebrows at his boss. Deaton gave him a knowing smile,

"I know more than you think." Deaton set his tools down and turned to look at Nick, "My sister and I may not see each other often, but she always knows to keep me informed of the pack's doings."

"Great, so you know that I need your help." Nick stated, "I need you to—"

"Get Talia on your side." Deaton cut Nick off, nodding a bit, "I'm well aware of how sought out my Alpha is." Nick swallowed and licked his lips, suddenly feeling nervous that Deaton wasn't going to help him. "I'll see what I can do." Deaton finally said, glancing at Nick, "Now, don't you have some work to do?" Deaton finished the conversation and Nick nodded.

"Thank you." Nick seriously said, swallowing a bit; he wasn't used to thanking people, let alone emissaries. Deaton gave him a small smile and nodded back at Nick.

* * *

Once the pep rally was over, Paige gathered up her things and immediately stood up, ready to get back to the music room. Amanda grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and giving Paige a small smile,

"Would you wanna go to the basketball game with me tomorrow night?" Amanda asked.

"Why?" Paige's brow furrowed at the invite.

"Well, cause it's my first sportsball game and I would like to go with a friend." Amanda said, hopefully raising her eyebrows.

"You could just not go, you know they aren't mandatory, right?" Paige asked, studying Amanda.

"Oh, right." Amanda moved her torso to the side before facing forward again, "Right, yeah, I mean, basketball's boring anyway." Amanda made a face, laughing a little, "I'll just see you on Monday." Amanda gave Paige a small smile and a little wave before walking past her.

As she walked out of the gym, Amanda shook her head at herself. Of course Paige wouldn't have wanted to go to the basketball game with her; she obviously hated basketball. Honestly, Amanda hated all forms of organized sports, but she needed to go to the basketball game so Derek would see her and Amanda could slowly start building the bridge.

"Hey, Amanda!" Amanda turned to see Paige jogging up to her, her messenger bag thumping against her thigh. Amanda waited for Paige to catch up to her and gave her a small smile, "Uh, I was thinking that…I don't know, maybe it'll be fun to go to the basketball game tomorrow night."

"Really?!" Amanda lit up and gave Paige a happy smile, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Paige grinned back at Amanda, rolling her eyes, "I'm sure you'll make it ten times more fun." Amanda reached out and took Paige's hand, squeezing it as she bounced a little.

"Okay." Amanda stopped bouncing and took in a breath, dropping Paige's hand, "I will see you tomorrow night." Amanda gave Paige another grin before walking away from her new friend.

Since Paige had agreed to go to the game with Amanda, Amanda figured it meant they were friends and she was relieved she was going to have someone to suffer with her. Plus, Paige was right, Amanda would make it fun just so they wouldn't be so incredibly bored.

Amanda continued her walk down the hall, checking her Razr to see that Nick had texted her that he was on his way to pick her up. Luckily, he had worked his hours out with Deaton so that he only worked during the day, letting him finish his shift right around the same time Amanda finished school. She snapped her phone closed and looked up just in time to avoid colliding with someone coming around the corner.

"Oh, hey." Amanda blinked a bit at the sudden person standing in front of her, one arm out as if to stop her from walking into him, the other wrapped around a basketball. She glanced from her hand to the person's face, realizing it was none other than Derek Hale. He was actually a couple of inches taller than her, she realized as she stood extremely close to him. And his eyes were more of a dark green than the brown she thought they were. Amanda blinked, realizing she was staring and stepped back from Derek.

"Sorry." Amanda laughed, placing her hands on her backpack straps as Derek gave her an easy smile.

"All good." Derek nodded at her before stepping to the side, trying to get around her. Amanda stepped in the same direction and soon the two of them were involved in a small, little dance, each trying to get around the other, but being blocked by each other. Amanda stopped moving and let out a small laugh,

"You go." She swept her arms out and to the side, letting Derek walk past her. Derek gave her a small smile and nodded, walking past her. His brow furrowed as he glanced behind him at the girl before he turned fully,

"Hey, wait." He called out to her, getting her to stop and turn to look at him expectantly. "You're the girl who ran into my locker, aren't you?" Derek pointed at Amanda and heard her heartbeat start to pick up in embarrassment. She blushed and looked down at her feet before looking back up at Derek,

"Yep, yeah, that would be me." Amanda rocked back on her heels as Derek gave her an amused smile, eyebrows raising.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah." Amanda rolled her eyes, "I can afford to lose a few brain cells, thankfully." Amanda joked, pointing to her head and making a face. Derek's smile grew and Amanda couldn't help but smile back, "I'll see you around, Derek." Amanda rolled back on her heels, turning in a small circle and giving him a wave. Derek's brow furrowed when she used his name, but he quickly shrugged it off; he saw her at the pep rally and they announced his name.

"Hey, wait, what's your name?" Derek called out after her. Amanda turned back, still on her heels and gave Derek a grin,

"It's Amanda." Amanda introduced herself, rolling forward so she was flat on her feet, hands on her backpack straps.

Derek nodded at her, which Amanda took as a sign that she could go. He watched her walk, almost skip, away from him, her pink backpack standing out in the otherwise dull hallway. For some reason, Derek couldn't help but smile at the sight of her semi-skipping down the school hallway, watching her until she disappeared around the corner. He shook his head and continued down the hallway, basketball bouncing with each step he took.

The girl, Amanda, had certainly got his attention. First with the slamming into his locker door, then later at practice and again during the pep rally when she waved back at him. She seemed to be everywhere that he was and Derek wasn't complaining — he was actually kind of curious. If her pattern kept up, Derek knew she would be at the basketball game.

Amanda walked out of the school and let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She heard Nick's motorcycle before she saw him, so she took the minute she had to collect herself. She just had her first real interaction with Derek Hale and somehow didn't blow it completely. Honestly, Amanda was pretty proud of herself; she for sure thought she was going to say something stupid, but she handled it with grace. Plus, he knew her face and her name, which was step one in getting close to Derek Hale and step one in doing exactly what Deucalion asked of her.

Waving at Nick as he pulled up in front of her, Amanda bounded over to him, swinging her leg over the back of the motorcycle and wrapping her arms around his waist. Nick revved the engine before kicking off, maneuvering out of the school parking lot and onto the road. The two of them were quiet as they rode through the town, getting back to their apartment for dinner and homework.

Nick leaned the bike on the kickstand, letting Amanda slide off before he did. She fixed her baseball tee and gave her best friend a grin as he ruffled her hair, walking past her and into the apartment building. Amanda followed him up the stairs, already talking about her day at school as Nick took out his keys. He unlocked the door and Amanda walked in after him, shutting and locking the door.

"And then there was a pep rally!" Amanda excitedly said, "Nick, it was the coolest thing. It was like straight out of _Bring It On_." Amanda put her hands out, moving them away from each other as she painted the scene in the air. Nick laughed as he shrugged out of his leather jacket, hanging it on the hook.

"Well, I'm glad it lived up to the hype." Nick grinned at her as Amanda slid out of her backpack straps, hanging up her jean jacket.

"How was work?" Amanda asked as Nick went over to the fridge, grabbing a package of individually wrapped and sliced cheese and the butter. He grabbed the loaf of bread and set it on the counter next to the stove, reaching for a frying pan,

"Good." Nick nodded, opening the cheese with one hand and then turning on the stove with the other, "You know, I think we should get a dog."

"Really?!" Amanda perked up, walking over to Nick.

"Fuck no." Nick laughed, getting Amanda to slump down and grumble to herself. She grabbed a slice of cheese from the package and unwrapped it as she went to the fridge.

"Did you talk to your boss?" Amanda asked, leaning her back against the fridge and looking at Nick as she opened the cheese slice.

"Mhm." Nick nodded, "Apparently I'm doing _so well_ I get a pay raise of a whole dollar."

"Oooo." Amanda grinned at Nick, "Maybe we can afford real cheese." Amanda joked, waving the cheese in Nick's face.

"You know these make the best grilled cheeses." Nick said, taking a bite out of the cheese slice as Amanda gasped at him. Nick grinned at her as Amanda rolled her eyes, folding up the rest of the cheese and shoving it into her mouth.

"You know, maybe I should get a job." Amanda thoughtfully said. Nick glanced at her as he set the sandwiches on the frying pan, "I can help out, buy my own cheese." Amanda grinned at him.

"Deucalion has us set on rent and stuff." Nick shrugged, "It really be just so you have your own spending money."

"Perfect, because I found this really cute top in that magazine the other day and I really want it." Amanda settled back against the fridge,

"What would you do?" Nick asked, "I mean no offense, but you've never really _had_ a job."

"I could babysit." Amanda shrugged, "Isn't that what all teenagers do?" Nick let out a little laugh before responding,

"How are you gonna find someone to let you babysit their kid?"

"I'll put up flyers." Amanda shrugged again, "It's a small town, I'm sure _someone_ needs a babysitter." Amanda made her eyes wide as she reached over the stove for another slice of cheese.

Eating her piece of cheese, Amanda walked out of the kitchen, going over to the door to grab her backpack. Nick was humming a mindless tune as he moved the sandwiches on the frying pan. She liked their comfortable little life in Beacon Hills; it seemed almost normal. Sure, they were in town because their werewolf Alpha/dad told them to go, but still. It was just the two of them. There were no other werewolves or emissaries walking around the apartment, just two humans. And to anyone looking in, it would look like a brother a sister were settling in for the night, completely normal and ordinary — which is exactly what Amanda wanted. To be a hundred percent normal and ordinary.

Nick finished up dinner as Amanda was finishing up her Algebra problem set. She moved her things to the side so Nick could place her plate down on the coffee table before he fell onto the couch above her. Amanda pushed out of her sitting position and went to get two bottles of water, tossing one to Nick before folding herself back up in between the couch and the coffee table.

"Besides your pay raise," Amanda started as she picked up half her sandwich, "Did you talk to Deaton about Deucalion?"

"Actually, yes." Nick said around a mouthful of grilled cheese, "Apparently, he's known about me…and you the entire time." Amanda felt her brows furrow and she looked over at Nick, who shrugged, "He said he was gonna help, so…" Nick trailed off, examining his sandwich before taking another bite. Amanda screwed her mouth to the side and turned so she was opposite of Nick, but able to see him. She figured she might as well tell him about what Deucalion really wanted her to do in Beacon Hills.

"Okay, then I have to tell you something." Amanda said, wiping the corners of her mouth. Nick looked down at her, eyebrows raised, "So I told you that Deucalion told me to just look out for the Hales, right?" Nick nodded, " And you've been telling me to get close to Derek, _but_..." Amanda paused, leaning forward, "I've actually already been doing that because Deucalion told me before we got here to get close to Derek…specifically." Amanda looked down at her sandwich, peeling off the crust.

"Oh?" Nick raised his eyebrows at Amanda, "And?"

"And I just thought you should know. I felt bad keeping a secret from you." Amanda simply said, tilting her head back at dropping the crust into her mouth, "And because of this—getting close to Derek," Amanda waved the corner of her sandwich in the air, "we're going to a basketball game tomorrow night."

"Oh, no way." Nick gave a little laugh, "I'm not sitting through a high school basketball game. You have to get close to Derek, not me."

" _Please?"_ Amanda whined, pouting at Nick.

"Nope." Nick shoved some of his sandwich into his mouth, "I don't need to watch some teenagers trip over themselves as they attempt to play basketball, nor do I need to watch you fail at flirting with a basketball player."

"I will _not_ be flirting." Amanda quickly blinked, trying not to let her face heat up. "I—I have a mission."

"Mhm, sure." Nick raised his eyebrows up before looking down at Amanda with a smirk on his face, "You know what?" Nick reconsidered his original statement, "I'll go, but only to watch you epically fail at trying to get a guys' attention." Amanda grumbled to herself as Nick got off of the couch.

* * *

A/N: Please let me know all of you thoughts!


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